


When the Reaper Comes A'Knocking

by moody_lesbian



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Acting AU, Canon-Typical Violence, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, POV Andrew Minyard, POV Neil Josten, Pining, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, he emotes more but like, i know jack shit about acting and movies, i only kind of know where im going with this so bear with me, not by much, slightly softer Andrew, tags will be added as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-09-13
Packaged: 2019-07-07 10:49:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15906765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moody_lesbian/pseuds/moody_lesbian
Summary: Nathaniel Wesninski had spent the past twenty years of his life being beaten down, running, and being beaten again. A year after Kevin Day, one of the only people he could almost call a friend, leaves him behind, he decides what’s one year of reckless abandon compared to twenty of lies and fear. Signing a contract with movie producer David Wymack and fake dating his newest co-star Andrew Minyard, one of the most unreliable and problematic actors of their decade, may be the last things Nathaniel ever do, but at least one could say he went out with a bang.





	1. exposition is a bitch

**Author's Note:**

> okay, okay, hello! so as i mentioned in my tags, i only KIND OF know where i'm going with this, but by god this idea has been haunting me for a month already and since ignoring it didn't make it go away, my only other option is to write it.
> 
> disclaimer: i know absolutely nothing about how movies work, ok. i don't even really keep up with interviews or movies/tv in general, and so if you notice anything glaringly wrong about anything i write over the course of this fic, feel free to ignore it and save my feelings. i'm just trying to have a good time. on the other hand, kevin suffers from chronic tinnitus in this fic. i know very little about tinnitus as well, and what i do know i've recently taught myself via google. if i say anything stupid regarding tinnitus, please let me know so i can try to re-work it and fix it. i'm not being a dumbass intentionally.
> 
> i will include warnings at the start of each chapter, but despite how the prologue sounds, there's most likely going to be more fluff and foxes being family than angst, i assure you. i'm a softy and i just want these kids to smile for once in their lives. that said, please let me know if anything ever seems TOO ooc or rushed.
> 
> updates will be weekly.
> 
> and i guess that's all from me, folks! happy reading!
> 
> warnings: riko can't keep his hands to himself, vague mentions of abuse, exposition out the fucking wahoo (but that's prologues for you)

The drive back to Riko’s house after the Oscars might have been one of the longest of Nathaniel’s life. The air in the car was stale from hours of idling during the ceremony, and Riko was silent next to Nathaniel’s side. Thea Muldani and Jean Moreau shared the seat across from them, heads turned away from each other and as much room as possible between their thighs. Tetsuji had left the ceremony earlier that night, right after the last of their nominations had been announced and won, but Nathaniel had been required to make small talk along with Jean and Thea, smile at cameras, and pretend like the weight of Riko’s arm around his waist wasn’t reminiscent to that of handcuffs and shackles.

 _It could have been worse,_ Nathaniel thought. _At least they won everything._

This hadn’t only been Nathaniel’s first Oscars, it was also the first Oscars that Riko had ever gone to without Kevin by his side.  

Nathaniel refused to think about Kevin Day ever since he had left early last year, the unexpected pain from the other man’s absence grating against all of Mary’s lessons still ringing in his ears. _Don’t get close to anyone. Don’t let anyone in. Attachment means death, Abram, and you must live._ Other than the times when Riko would cut into him, when Tetsuji would make crass comparisons, and when Nathaniel would bleed out for everyone’s mistakes but his own, it was as if Kevin Day had ceased to exist. Nathaniel couldn’t help but resent Kevin’s freedom. Even when he had been Alex, Stefan, Chris, even when he had brown eyes and browner hair, Nathaniel had never been free. For years Nathaniel had been kept underneath other people’s shoes, cut down with knives and words until he fit into the mold that was made just for him. Nathaniel always told himself that Kevin was lucky, that because he grew up with Riko and was favored by Tetsuji that he hadn’t felt pain the way Nathaniel had, that he hadn’t tasted fear, the sharp, tangy truth of it. But Nathaniel was nothing if not a liar, and he knew that the events that led up to Kevin’s escape far preceded Nathaniel’s presence behind the scenes.

Upfront, the driver took a turn too quickly and Nathaniel jerked against his seatbelt, side pressing into Riko’s before he could stop it. Riko had been on cloud nine all night, smile full of arrogance and condescension. He had no reason to fear what might’ve happened to him if he hadn’t won all of the awards their movie and characters had been nominated for. He wouldn’t have been the one bleeding that night if they hadn’t had a successful sweep, their movie winning all 10 categories for which it was nominated. Riko had won best actor for the third year running, and Nathaniel best supporting actor in his first ever film. They were already suspected to be the winners of numerous more awards later that year, and all night people had been shaking their hands and patting their shoulders, eyes lingering on the way Riko touched Nathaniel and the endearments that would slither out from between Riko’s quirked lips, words ramming up against Nathaniel’s ears and tearing at his patience.

Nathaniel knew it was all for show. Riko’s hands on him felt like brands, they were meant to remind Nathaniel of who his master was and where he belonged. Nathaniel wasn’t Kevin, he wouldn’t get away with running, so he must never be tempted to try. It was well to remember that those years he’d spent with Mary on the run were the only ones he would ever get.

As if to back up his thoughts, Riko acknowledged Nathaniel’s sudden proximity by snaking his arm around Nathaniel’s waist, his hand flat and much too-hot against Nathaniel’s thigh. Across from them, Jean and Thea’s eyes tracked the movement, Thea’s eyebrow quirking at Nathaniel and Jean’s eyes shuttering and flickering away as quickly as they had latched on. Nathaniel couldn’t breathe. He counted down from ten in all the languages he knew and re-directed his attention to the trees blurring by outside the car window. He only had to make it through the afterparty and then Riko’s hands would leave him alone.

 

* * *

 

The thing about Riko’s parties was that the guest count always ended up being at least twice as much as the actual guest list. When they first arrived Riko dismissed Jean and Thea to make the rounds on their own before guiding Nathaniel around by the waist, greeting everyone at least twice to make sure they saw. Nathaniel catalogued all of the exits in each of the rooms they passed through, no matter the fact that he had catalogued them so many times before that he could point them out with his eyes closed. He knew that he couldn’t take any of them, but reminding himself of their presence distracted him from the pleased look in Riko’s eyes whenever Nathaniel agreed with whatever he was saying or when Nathaniel would send forced smiles Riko’s way for the planted paparazzi amongst the guests.

After greeting the last of everyone, Riko finally dropped his arm from around Nathaniel in order to turn towards him. His attention on Nathaniel was light, barely there enough to qualify as attention at all, as his eyes flicked back and forth from Nathaniel to the other faces around them. Nathaniel knew who he was looking for. Selfishly, Nathaniel wished Kevin had the sense not to come tonight. Riko’s anger at his ignored invitation would be easier to take than the sight of Kevin again after so many months of nothing.

“Nathaniel, you must be thirsty,” Riko said after a few moments of silence, “Why don’t you fetch us something to drink.”

It wasn’t a suggestion, but Nathaniel was too relieved at being dismissed to smart at being ordered around. “Yes, Riko.”

Turning away from Riko, Nathaniel felt his lungs expand with his first whole breath of the night. He cut through the crowds of people, legs straining from the effort not to run as he forced himself towards the refreshment tables towards the side of the room. Maybe Riko would hunt down Kevin while Nathaniel was away, saving him from both Riko’s anger and from Kevin’s presence. Maybe Kevin even managed to leave his new guard dog behind tonight, sparing Nathaniel from Riko’s misdirected sneers and knives that were bound to come out after all the guests left later that night.

Nathaniel’s sides still ached painfully from where his stitches and bruises were hidden underneath his suit. Unfortunately for everyone, he still hadn’t gotten the hang of interviews and press junkets, and everytime his smile went cold and his words got away from him he would end up paying the price. He was so distracted by the memory of Riko leaning over him, knife pressed against the tip of his navel, that he didn’t notice the two other people crowding around the refreshments table until it was too late.

Stuttering to a stop, Nathaniel debated just turning around and going back the way he came when none other than Andrew Minyard, Kevin’s glorified guard dog himself, caught sight of him and leveled him with a smile so big it looked like it hurt. “Mayday, mayday, Day, look what the cat dragged in!”

Nathaniel’s heart dropped into his shoes when Kevin, face pale and eyes hollow, leaned around Andrew and looked right at him. It seemed time chose that moment to forgot how to count.

Nathaniel knew, objectively, all about Kevin’s past year away from Tetsuji and Riko. He had read enough e!news and lingered on enough pictures to be able to correctly detail the entire timeline of Kevin’s first year of freedom. Though, with how the tabloids still managed to cry on about Kevin’s new condition, Nathaniel wondered how free from it all he truly was.

The last movie Kevin had shot with Riko was the worst they’d been in to date. That’s not to say that it was a complete disaster, Tetsuji had enough renown all on his own to snag a few nominations here and there, and Riko still wasn’t kept from obtaining an Oscar at the last year’s ceremony, but it didn’t take a critic to see the notable differences in quality between Kevin’s acting in _The Nest,_ versus his acting in literally any other movie he had starred in since his debut at five years old. What wasn’t as obvious was the reason why.

It wasn’t until after Kevin disappeared during the months following _The Nest_ hitting theatres that his tinnitus became common knowledge.

 _The Nest_ was meant to act as the prequel to _The Raven King_ , the #1 box-office hit of 2015. It was an action/drama, much like most of the movies Riko and Kevin co-starred in together, and one of the scenes called for the use of guns during a high-energy chase scene through the streets of Charleston. To everyone else, what happened seemed to be nothing more than a tragic accident, but Nathaniel (and Kevin) knew better.

Riko and Kevin had always been painted as co-stars, but Riko’s roles always managed to have more lines, more dramatic scenes, more weight. But for years prior to the incident, critics had started to talk about Kevin as if he was the real star in all of the films they shot. _Kevin was a natural talent,_ they said. _Kevin’s potential was being hindered._ They wanted to see what Kevin could do on his own.

Riko’s jealousy was a nasty, eight-headed thing with sharp teeth and a sharper bite, and as the reviews started swinging more and more in Kevin’s favor, his already threadbare patience wore thin.

That day of filming had started like any other, the sky stretching open and blue above West Virginia. It was already noon, and they were about halfway finished with the movie already. The next few months would wrap everything up before the tapes would be sent for editing and post-production. Riko had been whispering to Kevin more than usual, and if the way Kevin’s hands shook as he snapped at makeup artists and assistants were any indicator, he hadn’t been saying anything good.

How it happened was this: Kevin and Riko were feet apart from each other, it was their sixth attempt at shooting the scene (an unusually high number), and the pistol in Riko’s hand was glinting with sunlight. Riko was getting ready to aim another blank at Jean’s character when he misfired, firing not even a foot away from Kevin’s left ear. Kevin had flinched away with his whole body, hands flying up for cover, but the damage had already been done.

They had ended filming early that day, and Nathaniel was sent to check on Kevin hours later once Riko had grown bored. Apparently, Kevin's ears had started whistling, and they hadn’t stopped.

Minyard’s hands clapping together snapped Nathaniel back to the present. Nathaniel watched, insides still squirming and feet frozen, as Kevin flinched away from the noise, scowling and slanting an irritated look at the blond. “Really, Andrew?”

Andrew’s eyes didn’t leave Nathaniel as he stepped closer, purposely hitting his nails against glasses on the table and producing soft tings. “Kevin, I think Alex here has gotten lost. Don’t you think we should return him?”

Nathaniel finally dragged his eyes away from Kevin in order to glare at the pint-sized man in front of him. Alex. It had been another one of Riko’s cruel jokes, suggesting that the first character Nathaniel ever played would take the same name as the first identity Nathaniel had adopted while on the run. Nathaniel felt his anger lurch between his bones, pulsing against his insides like the tide.

Ignoring it, Nathaniel cut another look back towards Kevin, instead. “I have to say, I’m disappointed. When you ran away I had at least hoped you wouldn’t be slipping one leash for another.”

Andrew’s laugh was a bold contradiction from the way he suddenly cut in front of Kevin, blocking him from Nathaniel’s sight altogether. To be such a small man, he took up much more space than Nathaniel would have expected. Nathaniel could feel the sharp edge of a blade, there one second and gone the next, and lowered his eyes to narrow them at the blond’s face. If anything, Andrew’s smile grew. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you that it’s rude to ignore people when they’re talking to you?”

“Bold of you to classify yourself as a person,” Nathaniel said, mind rapidly flicking through his mental folder on everything he had read and heard about Andrew Minyard and the other people Kevin had been hanging out with since leaving. “Even your friends refer to you as _‘monster’._ ”

Behind Andrew, Kevin scoffed as he stepped closer, face becoming visible again over the blond crown of Andrew’s head. “They’re not our friends.”

“No? Even Aaron and Nicky? Could’ve fooled me. I wonder if they’d be so keen on keeping you around if they knew how little you thought of them.”

Before Kevin could respond, Andrew waved a hand back at him, “Shhh, Kevin. Shut up. Let the grown-ups talk.”

Nathaniel was tempted to comment on the irony of that statement. Nathaniel was the youngest one there out of the three of them, and Andrew the shortest. If anything, Kevin seemed more the adult than the either of them.

“Where’s Riko?”

The sudden question killed the growing spark of vindictive amusement in Nathaniel’s chest, and he crossed his arms, resisting the urge to step back. “Looking for Kevin.”

Andrew’s eyes narrowed. “And you? What are you doing away from his side?”

Rather than answering, Nathaniel sneered and swept an arm out over the rows of glasses and bottles lining the table next to them. “I thought Kevin was supposed to be the one with difficulty thinking these days.”

Nathaniel ignored the way Kevin recoiled from the statement, eyes not leaving Andrew’s as the man went to take another step forward. Before he could no doubt press his blade back up against the fine silk of Nathaniel’s suit, Riko’s voice came slicing through the air.

“I was wondering what was taking you so long, Nathaniel. I see you found more guests.”

Nathaniel watched the flash of fear cross Kevin’s face before he was shutting down, eyes hollowing out like they were when Nathaniel first saw him. Not looking away, Nathaniel responded, “Sorry, Riko. I was just saying hello.”

“Of course, I would expect no less.” Nathaniel braced himself to feel Riko’s arm circle him yet again, but it didn’t stop the feelings of disgust and hot shame when both Kevin and Andrew watched it happen. “How is our old friend? Well?”

Kevin opened his mouth, but Andrew seemed determined to let the man talk as little as possible. “I imagine he would’ve been better had the elephant not gone up the clock.”

Nathaniel felt the way Riko’s arm around him tensed slightly, fingers digging painfully into his side. “I know it’s because of your unfortunate medication, but if you always make this little sense it’s a wonder why Kevin hasn’t come back already. He must know that even he isn’t enough to save David’s faltering career.”

Much like Tetsuji Moriyama, David Wymack was another household name around Hollywood, but that’s where the similarities stopped. While Tetsuji was praised for his movies and his ability to turn any actor or actress into a star, David was known for casting washed-up has-beens with spotty records and barely making enough money in order to pay his crew. The fact that world-famous Kevin Day had ended up associating with them said a lot about his prospective future, but Nathaniel couldn’t deny the fact that even with a pathetic director and mentally unstable co-stars, Kevin was probably better off where he was now than underneath Riko’s heel.

Before anyone else could comment, David’s voice cut in with, “I sure hope this isn’t how you talk about all your guests,” because speak of the Devil and he shall appear.

David Wymack was dressed to the nines in his dark grey suit and navy blue tie, shoes shinier than what his wallet probably should’ve allowed. Nathaniel would’ve taken a step back then, pride be damned, if not for the grip Riko still had on him. Wymack was a large man with broad shoulders and a handsome, worn face from years of hard work. He was around the same age and build as Nathan, if a couple inches shorter, and Nathaniel felt his windpipe struggle to stay open at the man’s sudden presence and proximity. He tamped down his reaction as quickly as possible, but not quick enough if the mocking smile Andrew quirked at him was any indication.

Nathaniel watched out of the corner of his eye as Riko forced a smile. “David, welcome. Excuse my tongue if that was a bit too blunt, I meant no disrespect.”

David didn’t bother returning the smile, instead clasping a hand over a still-fuming Kevin’s shoulder and dragging his eyes over where Riko’s fingers were biting into Nathaniel’s side hard enough to leave bruises before stopping on Nathaniel’s face. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m David Wymack, a director and producer here in Hollywood. Watching your movie I never would’ve guessed you were a debut actor.”

Andrew laughed. “Coach, didn’t you know? They’d been training and keeping Alex in the basement for years.”

Glaring at Andrew, Nathaniel knew better than to talk back when Riko released him and nudged him in the direction of the crowds. Trailing his hand across the small of Nathaniel’s back, Riko said, “Nathaniel. Why don’t you go search for Jean and Thea and let them know Kevin’s here. I’m sure they’d enjoy the reunion.”

Nathaniel started to move when Andrew’s voice stopped him. “No need!” Hesitating, he looked back at Andrew and caught the way the blond’s eyes were narrowed at Riko’s lingering touch. When Andrew looked back up at him, his eyes were unreadable. “Kevin here was only interested in talking to Nathaniel, but I see you’re too busy bossing him around. Let’s reschedule this for some other time, okay?” Spinning around, Andrew took off in the opposite direction, back towards the entryway. “We’re leaving, Coach, poach Nathaniel some other time.”

Kevin hesitated, eyes searching Nathaniel’s face for who-knew-what before he grimaced and let Wymack start pulling him away.

As Nathaniel allowed himself to momentarily ignore Riko’s presence at his side, he watched them go and wondered what had just happened. And later, once all the guests had gone home and Nathaniel could no longer ignore Riko’s presence or his angry knives crossing his skin, he let himself wonder what it might've meant for the future.


	2. let's get this party started

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathaniel agrees to come to Anaheim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi again everyone!!!! thank you so much to everyone who has commented or left me kudos so far on this work! i'm sorry for the day-late update, but this chapter really kicked my ass and i ended up re-writing 80% of it, so if anything fits a bit oddly that's why.
> 
> this chapter is from andrew's POV, so i hope you guys like it!! i don't know how often i'll do it, but this won't be the last time, i promise.
> 
> happy reading!
> 
> warnings: andrew is starting to go through withdrawal, but it's really not that bad

The week following the MTV Movie Awards was three things: hot, long, and on Andrew’s last nerve. Ever since Kevin first saw young Alex again back in February, he had been two breaths away from a panic attack. However, it wasn’t until Kevin saw Riko lead Alex up the stage, ever-present hand on Alex’s lower back, in order to accept their award for Best On-Stage Duo that he really went keeling over the edge.

_“You don’t understand,” Kevin had said, clutching the neck of a Grey Goose, “He’ll use this as ammunition. Riko already owns him, he didn’t need any more reasons.”_

Kevin had refused to clarify what he meant, not that he had been sober enough at that point to do so cohesively anyway, but one thing had been starkly clear: Kevin’s attachment to the lost boy was a problem.

Last year, Kevin came crawling to them with a whistling head, broken confidence, and everything to lose. This year, he’d failed to make much progress. When Andrew agreed to take Kevin under his wing, Kevin had promised him an already impossible future, a future being made obsolete by Kevin’s inability to grow a spine. While it wasn’t unusual for people to fail him, Andrew held onto his days through grit and painful honesty, and he failed himself more than anybody when it came to knowing when to let go.

Nathaniel Wesninski may have been an anomaly, a puzzle with too many missing pieces, but in Riko’s hands he was also the biggest thing distracting Kevin from keeping his word.

Andrew wasn’t without his research. It didn’t take a genius to piece together how deep Kevin and Nathaniel’s history ran, even with how little Andrew managed to pull out of Kevin without resorting to violence. Andrew knew that Nathaniel was a patchwork of half-truths and barbed misdirection, all sharp smiles and sharper words. If it wasn’t for Riko’s control issues and how little interview time Nathaniel was allowed, Andrew wouldn’t doubt that the idiot would’ve made twice as many enemies as he already had.

But for all that Nathaniel might’ve looked like a threat, what with his unruly auburn hair, piercing blue eyes, and dangerous smirks that always managed to make interviewers go pink in the cheeks, he was built like a runner, in more ways than one.

According to Riko and Tetsuji, no one knew about Nathaniel Wesninski before his breakout role in _Number Four_ because he was an underground talent with an unexpected shy side. According to Kevin, no one knew about Nathaniel because Riko and Tetsuji hadn’t needed nor wanted anyone to. Kevin claimed that Nathaniel had a rough past and that by the time he teamed up with the Moriyamas Riko and Kevin were already the primary picks for any of Tetsuji’s movies. However, neither reason added up. Nothing about the borderline-ginger screamed shy, neither his bold looks nor his cocky sarcasm, and there was no reason why Nathaniel couldn’t have played a side role in said movies much like Jean Moreau or Kevin’s ex-girlfriend Thea Muldani so often did. If Andrew had to guess, no one knew about Nathaniel Wesninski before his breakout role because Nathaniel Wesninski simply wasn’t around to be known. It would explain why Kevin refused to answer any questions about his history with Nathaniel prior to the filming of _The Nest_ , and why Riko hadn’t been parading Nathaniel around for years already. With talent like that, there was no way Riko would’ve kept the man underwraps, regardless of his runaway mouth and penchant for PR wildfires.

More than anything, Andrew knew that if he wanted Kevin to make good on his word then Nathaniel would need hands to play. Unfortunately, he would never get enough cards while living in Riko’s back pocket.

Blowing out a lungful of smoke, Andrew tore his mind away from his thoughts and his eyes away from Los Angeles’s smog-filled silhouette and crushed his half-smoked cigarette against the roof of his house. An idea was hatching in the back of his head, but he couldn’t do anything about it unless Nathaniel made the first move. Knowing the rabbit, all he had to do was wait.

 

* * *

 

July 1st fell on a Friday that year, and Andrew was on the down and down while getting ready to go to Sweetie’s. He had handed off his pills to Kevin an hour before and brushed off Nicky’s suggestion to watch a movie so that he could lock himself in his room and call Bee, instead.

He hadn’t had time to visit her during the week due to being dragged to various meetings about Wymack’s next movie idea. Wymack wanted Kevin to play a role, the first he would claim since his split with Moriyama Productions, but instead of charging into it with the sickening determination Kevin always oozed, he had froze, instead straddling the line between fear and anticipation. At Andrew’s reminder of their deal, he had snapped and spewed trite words about proving everyone wrong and handing Wymack his first Oscar for Best Picture, even going as far as to nag Andrew into attending every discussion about casting and plot possibilities, but anyone with a brain could tell he was more bark than bite. Kevin was nothing without acting, but his fear and paranoia at showing back up on a set was an open secret amongst their circle, and the side effects of his tinnitus only made things worse.

During the phone call, Bee rambled on about a new dish she was trying that week and asked Andrew about the book he was currently reading ( _Bag of Bones_ by Stephen King), and Andrew let her warm, unassuming voice wash over him and drain out the irritation that had been attempting to make a home underneath his skin. He knew his deal with Kevin was pointless even before Kevin had started proving his ineptitude, but Andrew still felt something close to resentment at the fact that it was bothering him as much as it was.

It wasn’t long before Bee wished him a good night and hung up, and Andrew had just finished tying up his heavy, black combat boots when his phone started vibrating at odd intervals in his pocket. Tugging it back out of his too-tight jeans, Andrew unlocked it with his thumb and was grateful for the calm Bee had just left him with when he saw where the notifications were coming from. He spared a moment’s thought to simply ignoring them, but then a name that had been haunting him for weeks flashed across the screen and Andrew was opening the messages before he could talk himself out of it.

 

> **_stop changing the fucking group name, nicky_ **
> 
> 4 members
> 
> aaron 
> 
> what the fuck
> 
> what’s riko’s boyfriend doing sitting in the cafe across from wymack’s apartment
> 
> nuisance 
> 
> what r u even doing at mugs coffee, boys night is in less than an hr
> 
> wait, riko has a bf????
> 
> OMG, PAUSE. DO U MEAN NATHANIEL?! i knew he was too cute 2 be straight
> 
> but wait, i thought kev said they werent dating?? is he there w riko or smthn???
> 
> aaron 
> 
> not that it’s any of your business, but i’m visiting somebody
> 
> and i don’t think so. he’s staring into space while looking homeless
> 
> mayday 
> 
> Get your eyes checked, Aaron. Nathaniel would be with Riko, Jean, and Thea on vacation this weekend like Riko goes on every year before the 4th.
> 
> aaron 
> 
> yeah well apparently he didn’t get the memo

 

The photo Aaron sent was slightly shaky, like Aaron hadn’t bothered to wait the extra second for it to focus, but it was unmistakably of Nathaniel Wesninski. Andrew felt a bit of his irritation resurface. Nathaniel was sat in the far back of Mug’s Coffee, the run-down cafe less than 100 feet from Wymack’s apartment building’s front door, and he was hunched over in a booth far enough from any windows or other people to afford him a sliver of privacy. He was dressed in oversized, ratty clothes and his face was tilted slightly downwards as he stared at a small coffee cup, but even his Dementer-esque hood did little to hide his identity. Nathaniel wasn’t exactly tall, and the wisps of red hair escaping from his hoodie were a dead giveaway to anyone who knew what to look for. Andrew was mildly surprised that the man had even managed to make it that far without being swamped by his and Riko’s overly-invested fanbase, but he decided to chalk it up to Nathaniel’s typical habit of being a little too good at staying unnoticed.

 

> nuisance 
> 
> omg, that’s totally nathaniel
> 
> aaron 
> 
> that’s what i just fucking said
> 
> mayday 
> 
> He shouldn’t be here. And what does he think he’s wearing? If anyone was to see him they’d think Tetsuji let him go.
> 
> nuisance 
> 
> well maybe he did. y else would he be so far away from nyc???
> 
> mayday 
> 
> He wouldn’t. Jean and Thea aren’t good enough to act as co-stars with Riko, and Tetsuji doesn’t have anyone else in waiting like he did when I left.
> 
> aaron 
> 
> you mean when riko busted your eardrum and sent you running
> 
> nuisance 
> 
> aaron!!
> 
> mayday 
> 
> Fuck you.
> 
> Ask Nathaniel what he’s doing here.
> 
> aaron 
> 
> no, it’s not like i care
> 
> plus nicky said it himself, sweetie’s is in less than an hour and i still have to get back to the house

 

Andrew read the messages as they popped up, his idea from weeks ago rearing its head in the back of his mind. He stared as the top of the group chat read _‘mayday is typing…’_ , but before Kevin could send Aaron more fruitless orders to talk to Nathaniel, Andrew decided to do the ordering for him.

 

> tell nathaniel if he wants to talk to kevin he’ll still be there when i arrive.
> 
> nuisance
> 
> ANDREW!!
> 
> omg, u sneak. u always say u have the gc muted >:(
> 
> aaron 
> 
> fuck off, i don’t want to talk to him
> 
> and yet you will if you don’t want to walk to anaheim tonight. 

 

Less than a minute after his last message delivered, someone was banging at his door. “Andrew!”

Andrew waited to see Aaron’s bitter ‘fine’ flash across the screen before picking himself up off of the edge of his bed to swing open his door. On the other side stood Kevin, eyebrows knotted and lips down-turned. Judging by the lack of muffled explosions floating up from stairs, Nicky had paused whatever movie they had been watching.

Rather than stating the obvious, Andrew leaned against the door frame, arms crossed lazily across his chest as he waited for Kevin to prove his predictability. It didn’t take long.

“Why would Nathaniel come all the way here just to talk to me?”

Wordlessly, Andrew walked away from the door, confident Kevin knew better than to step inside. At his dresser, he pulled out the longest jeans he had on hand before moving to the closet to ruffle through shirts. After the silence had drawn out long enough to prove just what Andrew thought of such a stupid question, he said, “Why else would he be here, Kevin?”

Kevin’s face twisted amusingly, clearly wanting to disagree but not having enough evidence to prove the contrary. “I don’t know, we haven’t spoken since the Oscars. Riko’s been limiting all of their contact with me, but Nathaniel’s not dumb enough to go behind his back.”

Andrew had a lot of thoughts about that, none of them complimentary. Instead of pointing out all of the ways Scarecrow lacked a brain, Andrew busied himself by throwing the clothes he gathered into a crumpled bag he had originally forgotten beside his bed. Once they were all shoved inside, Andrew picked up another pair of heavy black boots, these ones with an unnecessary amount of straps and buckles, and tucked them under his arm before heading back towards his door. He only had to pause for a second before Kevin was moving out of his way.

Kevin followed him all the way down the stairs and past the living room before he spoke again. “Are you going to bring him back here?”

Andrew considered the merits of keeping his silence, but ultimately decided Kevin would be too thick to get it unless he answered. “No. You and Nicky are going to wait in the car.”

Nicky, clearly having been eavesdropping, poked his head around the corner at that. He blinked at the boots tucked underneath Andrew’s arm and the bag dangling from his hand before asking, “Is Nathaniel coming to Anaheim?”

“Yes.”

Not waiting for Nicky or Kevin to say anything else, Andrew turned on his heel and walked to his car, ignoring the way his head swam from the movement. He dug his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the doors before throwing them at Nicky and sliding into the backseat. “Hurry up, we’re on rabbit time.”

 

The drive to the cafe was fast and uncomfortable. Kevin was clearly about to have a meltdown in the passenger seat, and Nicky kept shooting Andrew worried looks in the rear view mirror when he wasn’t busy cutting people off on the interstate. Andrew had to close his eyes halfway through the ride to help fight off the sudden onslaught of motion sickness, and by the time they reached the designated parking lot, he could feel his stomach roiling like it was building up to a revolt.

It couldn’t have been coincidence. Nathaniel hadn’t been seen outside of Riko’s shadow since the media first saw his face over a year ago, and now not only was he alone and in disguise, but he was sat across the street from where Kevin had been staying for nearly a year after his accident. Kevin had finished moving in with the cousins a few days ago, but if Nathaniel had been focused on slipping Riko’s leash and making it the 2,789 miles to California undetected, there was no way he would’ve known that. Andrew had wanted to talk to Nathaniel before, but the sudden recklessness of his appearance in Los Angeles only made it worse.

Breathing in slowly, Andrew flexed his fingers and picked up the boots and bag of clothes once more before pushing open the car door and stumbling out. “Wait here.”

He walked as steadily as he could towards the cafe’s front door, not bothering to check the windows for a preview of who all was inside. He assumed there was about an 80/20 chance that Nathaniel still would be. It was unlikely that the idiot would have risked getting caught in the first place unless he was pathetically desperate enough to talk to Kevin, but Andrew also knew from hours worth of interviews that there was always an underlying need to run hidden in the lines of Nathaniel’s body. He never sat too close to interviewers, his eyes always seemed to stray a bit too often to areas off-camera, and the tension in his shoulders was probably visible from outer space. If Andrew had it in himself to care, he would have bet money that Nathaniel probably had to train himself not to fidget. Kevin never seemed to shut up about the importance of public image, and Andrew doubted Tetsuji or Riko were any more lax.

As soon as he pushed open the door to Mug’s Coffee, a waft of burnt coffee grinds and indie desperation assaulted his senses, but Nathaniel was right where Aaron’s picture had depicted he would be. Instead of walking over immediately, Andrew let his eyes drag across the room, cataloguing how many people were present and who all were paying attention (practically no one) before he stopped on the sight of Aaron leaning against the counter and talking to a pretty enough strawberry blond. The strawberry blond was smiling, open and familiar, but it quickly dimmed when she glanced over and caught Andrew glaring at her. Aaron followed her gaze and his face darkened dramatically when he saw Andrew approaching.

“Your charity case is over there,” Aaron said nastily, pointing a finger towards the back corner where Nathaniel was watching them.

Andrew didn’t respond, instead flicking a dismissive glance at the girl still hovering behind the counter and making a shooing gesture with his hand. “Run along now, Goldilocks, he isn’t your just right.”

The girl — Katelyn, as her name tag read — quickly turned away, mumbling an, “ _I’ll talk to you later_ ” at Aaron before making herself busy at the other end of the counter.

“What the fuck, Andrew—”

“No,” Andrew cut in. “A deal is a deal. Don’t be mad at me if you need help keeping yours.”

“She’s just a friend,” Aaron fumed, “She’s on the med track, too, and we share a few classes together. That’s it.”

High, Andrew would’ve laughed. Half-sober and feeling sicker by the minute, he settled with a snort. “Don’t let your big bad medical courses mislead you. I’m no idiot, and I will always be ten steps ahead of you. Now go wait in the car.”

Aaron visibly bristled at being told what to do, but rather than arguing he clenched his fists and pushed away from the counter. He knocked his shoulder into Andrew’s on his way by, and when he walked out of the cafe he slammed the door hard enough to leave the little bell jingling for several seconds after.

A few people looked up at the noise, but temper tantrums must not have been wholly uncommon at Mug’s Coffee because the majority of patrons chose to keep their heads down and pretend like nothing happened. Andrew knew that Aaron and his sneaking around would have to be dealt with later, but at the moment Andrew had more flighty matters to deal with.

With that in mind, Andrew started towards the jittery mess still hunched over in the corner. It was clear Nathaniel had watched the whole thing, but his raised eyebrow was more inquisitive than judgmental, giving the impression that he didn’t hear much of the conversation, if any of it. When Andrew wasn’t forthcoming with any information, a small scowl began blossoming gently across his face.

Andrew stopped once he reached the end of Nathaniel’s booth. “Well, well, surprise, surprise. That cat sure has been busy.”

Whatever Nathaniel had planned on saying seemed to be forgotten as he started, eyes darting around Andrew’s face and catching on his mouth. “You’re not high.”

“The sky is blue. Fire is hot. Glass is fragile. Any other ground-breaking factoids you want to share?”

The redhead hesitated as if wanting to say more, but then smartly decided against it as his scowl returned. “What do you want?”

Rather than answering right away, Andrew took a few moments to take in the sorry sight in front of him. Nathaniel’s clothes looked a stiff breeze away from unraveling completely and beside him in the booth sat a ratty old duffel bag squished between the wall and a nondescript plastic bag. When Andrew looked back at Nathaniel, he felt his eyebrow twitch. “The question is, what do you?”

“You already know what I want,” Nathaniel said cagily,  “that’s why you sent your brother. Was he supposed to be threatening, by the way? Because someone should let him know that he’s a bit too old to still be pulling the angst-y punk teen shtick.”

If Andrew were anyone else, he might have laughed. “I didn’t send Aaron.”

“Really? And here I thought you kept your things on a short leash.”

“What, like Riko does?”

Nathaniel was nearly able to hide his flinch at the other man’s name, but Andrew was too familiar with hiding fear to not notice it.

“Speaking of the rat, where is he?” Andrew asked.

If possible, Nathaniel hunched even further. “Not here.”

“Cute, but you know that’s not what I meant.”

“Maybe I don’t care what you meant,” Nathaniel snapped. His glare was impressive, but someone ought to warn him that he’d form wrinkles if he didn’t stop scowling so much. Kevin would have a heart attack. “He’s not in California, and he doesn’t know I’m here yet, either. Maybe if you tell me what you want sometime this century we can keep it that way.”

“Feisty,” Andrew said, finally sliding into the booth across from Nathaniel. He didn’t miss the way those blue eyes caught on his armbands when he folded his hands on the table. “Tell me, Alex, how many ouchies have you gotten as a result of that mouth?”

“Enough.”

Andrew scoffed. “Clearly not if you still haven’t learned. Now I won’t ask again: _Where is he_?”

“London,” Nathaniel finally spit, eyes leaving the armbands at the same time. “With Thea and Jean.”

“And why aren’t you with them?”

“I must’ve gotten lost,” Nathaniel said, parroting Andrew’s own words from months prior back at him.

Andrew felt a drop of intrigue pass over him as a tense silence fell over the table. Nathaniel was clearly unwilling to give up anymore information, but Andrew was unwilling to make anything easy for anyone. Despite the waves of nausea now so intense they threatened to pull him under, Andrew refused to break the sudden stare off he seemed to find himself locked in. Nathaniel’s eyes were bright with curiosity and skepticism, clearly distrusting of anything Andrew could possibly say, and for a split-second Andrew felt compelled to comment on them just to see what the flight risk would do. Before that thought had the chance to take hold, a woman approached, her shoes clacking across the oak floors with purpose.  
  
She stopped right where Andrew had prior to sitting down, and her voice practically bubbled over with excitement as she exclaimed, “Oh my god, you’re Nathaniel Wesninski.”

Andrew watched the way Nathaniel flinched back from the name, face twisting and hand moving to clench at the duffel bag at his side. _Interesting,_ whispered a voice in the back of Andrew’s head. He ignored it.

“I’m so sorry,” the woman continued, undeterred, “did I startle you? I just can’t believe you’re here,  it’s just- you’re always in New York with Riko! And then Thea posted on Snapchat this morning that you all were heading towards London, and—”

“Did you need something?” Nathaniel cut in harshly. Andrew quirked an eyebrow. “We were kind of in the middle of something.”

The woman’s mouth formed a perfect ‘o’, whether in response to Nathaniel’s rude tone or his rude manners Andrew didn’t know, and then she was looking at Andrew as if noticing his presence for the first time. The noise she made was unique if not pretty. “Oh my god, you’re Andrew Minyard!”

Andrew said nothing, instead staring at her with a flat look as he waited for her to answer Nathaniel’s question. They were lucky not to have been spotted sooner, but one person making a scene was all they needed to get swamped, and, distrusting blues aside, Andrew still had questions to ask. After a few seconds of silence where the dumb woman began fidgeting uncomfortably, Andrew decided to do another cursory check of the cafe, noting the small handful of other inhabitants who still hadn’t noticed them before eventually landing back on Nathaniel.

Nathaniel’s face seemed to never have left its pinched state, but his PR training (or Riko’s issues) must have been good for something, because while he looked like he wanted to say something, he didn’t.

Ignoring the woman, Andrew tapped his finger pointedly on the table, drawing Nathaniel’s attention away from her and back to him. “Give your fan your signature so we can leave. We’re already late.”

“Leave?” If anything, Nathaniel’s face pinched more. “With you?”

Andrew slid from the booth, not bothering to acknowledge the woman still gawking at them a second time. He tossed the bag of clothes he brought with him on the table and sat the boots next to them. “Change your clothes in the bathroom and hurry up. The others are waiting.”

Nathaniel stared at the bag like there was a rattlesnake in it. “Others?”

“Yes, Alex,” Andrew sneered. “You’re not dumb enough to think we’d cancel our plans just for you, did you?”

Understanding crossed Nathaniel’s face. He shoved the bag as far away as possible, still tense even once it threatened to tip off the table. “No.”

Next to them, the woman’s eyes passed between the two of them as if watching a particularly good tennis match and Andrew could bet there’d be rumors about their conversation by morning. He didn’t care.

“You will come if you want to talk to him. Otherwise, I’d pack up and run along. L.A. isn’t your home.”

When Nathaniel kept staring at the bag and said nothing else, Andrew turned and left the cafe, walking in an unnecessarily large arc around the woman.

Outside, Andrew headed towards the car, leaning against it as he shook a cigarette out of its home. His fingers trembled. The nicotine wasn’t strong enough to fight against his withdrawal, but he hadn’t planned on waiting so long before ingesting cracker dust, either. As bothersome as it was, getting Nathaniel to Eden’s was necessary for his plan to work. He needed to make sure Nathaniel wasn’t here on someone else’s orders before he offered him sanctuary, if one could even call it that.

He barely got in two lungfuls before Kevin was leaning his head out of the window. “Where is he?”

“On his way.”

Kevin’s face did that twisting thing again, but apparently that was a good enough answer for him because he leaned back into the car without another word.

Five minutes later and Nathaniel was stumbling out of the cafe, eyes flickering across the parking lot before locking onto Andrew’s. Andrew broke the contact in order to look over his work, and he felt himself pause as he took the sight in.

Nathaniel was a bit too tall and thin for everything to fit perfectly, but to say he made it work would be an understatement. The ripped jeans were a bit looser than Andrew would have chosen had he had time to prepare, but they still managed to hug Nathaniel’s hips attractively, and the shirt Andrew gave him was simple, solid back with a large white square on the chest for aesthetics, but it hung just wide enough over Nathaniel’s shoulders to reveal sharp collarbone. Fortunately, the boots must have fit well enough, because they rounded out the look, adding an extra inch or so onto Nathaniel’s height. His hand-me-down quality duffel bag was the only thing to offset the look, and his mystery plastic bag hung from his fingers.

Nicky’s voice broke the silence. “God _damn_ , Nathaniel, I knew you were hot, but you're looking like a snack and a half.”

Nathaniel’s eyes cut over to Nicky at the same time as Andrew’s, but before he could say anything Andrew snapped, “He’s off-limits.”

“What, but why? You already have Kevin, stop being so greedy,” Nicky whined.

Ignoring him, Andrew nodded his head towards the car before opening the back door. “Let’s go, Nathaniel, we don’t have all night.”

“Where are we going?”

Andrew took a deep drag of his cigarette before dropping it and blowing the smoke in Nathaniel’s face. He watched blankly as the conundrum seemed to lean further into the smoke rather than away. “Stop acting purposely obtuse. Anaheim.”

“But why?” Nathaniel asked, delayed.

Andrew sighed. “I don’t like repeating myself, you’d do well to remember that. Now get in the car.”

Nathaniel’s fingers clenched at the strap digging into his shoulder. “Do you promise that if I come with you then I get to talk to Kevin?”

Andrew was unimpressed by the desperation encroaching into his tone, but he could feel his withdrawal eating away at his patience. Typically he didn’t bother answering questions others could answer by themselves, but his hands were already too clammy and soon he wouldn’t be able to hide the tremor to his fingers. So he lied, “Yes.”

Crushing his cigarette underfoot, Andrew slid back into the car. Nathaniel only hesitated for a few more moments before following, slamming the car door shut behind them.

“Oh, and Nathaniel?”  
  
“What?” He sounded wary, body squished as close as it could go into the door rather than touching Andrew’s. His knuckles were white where he held onto his bags.

“I suggest when I stay ‘stop’, you move. And quickly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> up next will be Eden's! as always, i love, love, love receiving comments because they really keep me going, so please drop one down below if you have the time. i'm very insecure about my writing, and each comment i get gives me a little more courage to share this with you all.
> 
> until next time, farewell!

**Author's Note:**

> here is where i'd typically plug my blog, but i haven't really used tumblr since posting my last works. (you may remember me as tumblr user jeanmoreos, however. if you do then i'm so sorry for vanishing for so long. it's been a time.) 
> 
> thank you so much for reading, and without further ado, until next time!


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